Coin control mechanism for electric circuits



N0 19, 1940. A. W. SHERTENLLEB COIN CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS Filed July 14, 1938 2 Sheets--Sheevl l ALBERT VV. SHERTENL/E-B JNWNTUR LTTURNEY Nov. 19, 1940. A. w. sHz-:RTENUEB 2.2219850 COIN CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS Filed July 14, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,4L gE/?7 W. SHERTENL/EB NVENTOR,

A T TURN E 1/ Patented Nov. 19, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COIN CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS 3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to a coin control mechanism for electric circuits, but more specically to a coin control mechanism in association with an electric clock whereby an elecl tric circuit. can be maintained closed for a predetermined period by and after the introduction of a coinor metallic token.

The main object of the invention resides in the provision of a coin control mechanism in association with an electric time clock whereby an electrical circuit can be closed and opened after running for a predetermined period.

Another object of the invention is to provide -a coin control means as applied to an electric clock whereby the clock may be started after the introduction of a coin or metallic teken and stopped at a predetermined interval of time.

A still further object of the invention resides in the provision of an electric clock which will run for a predetermined periodonly after the insertion of a coin thereby serving as an incentive to saving money.

These objects and other incidental ends and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear in the progress of the disclosure and as pointed out in the appended claims.

Accompanying this specication are drawings showing a preferred form of the invention wherein corresponding reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an electric clock having a coin control mechanism and an auxiliary chamber associated therewith.

Figure 2 is a front view in elevation of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side view in section of the device showing the auxiliary chamber and the coin control mechanism contained therein.

Figure 4, is a fragmentary front View in elevation partly in section of the circuit closing means of the coin control mechanism within the coin control chamber.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view in side elevation showing the relationship between the circuit closing disks, the dial plate, the hour hand and toothed wheel.

Figure 6 is a diagrammatical view showing the electrical circuit between the coin control mechanism and the motor of the clock.

In accordance with the invention and in accordance with a preferred form shown, numeral I0 indicates an electric clock casing containing a clock mechanism and motor chamber Ill', the clock mechanism and motor not being shown-`V I l represents a conventional marginal dial while I2 represents a glass window enclosing the minute hand I3, the hour hand I4 and the second hand I5 against the front dial wall I2 of the clock casing. Front dial Wall I2 at one side is provided with an opening I6 for partial penetration or a toothed wheel as will hereinafter be described.

Secured to one side of clock casing I0 is an auxiliary housing or chamber Il having an intermediate protruding front round portion I'ld, an opposite and partly rounded rear portion I'lb and top offset portions I'Ic and I'ld between which is a coin chute Illa.

On the inner side of the front dial wall I2 of the casing i0 `is secured an upright support I8 which is adapted to act as a bearing for a shaft I 9 running horizontally within the casing lil and contiguous to the inner side of the dial wall I2 and having at the outer extremity a wheel 2i) having teeth 20a, 2Gb, 20c and 20d thereon, the said teeth being preferably spaced at degrees and being adapted to penetrate opening I5 on wall I2 of the casing.

Two spaced non-conducting uprights 2l are secured at the lower ends of the inner face of front wall of housing Il by means of screws or rivets 22 penetrating holes 22 in the said uprights. Secured to the front faces of uprights 2| are two metallic strips 23 having rearwardly oiset portions 23a at the top thereof bearing ldown upon upwardly projecting conducting saddle members 24 mounted in slits 2Ia at the top of the uprights, the strips 23 being secured to uprights 2| by means of screws 24. Saddle members 24 are adapted to be in electrical and fricticnal engagement with metallic sleeves 25 xed on shaft I9, the said sleeves being spaced by means of a nonconductive bushing 26. Shaft I9 with sleeves 25 thereon penetrates standards 23, non-conductive bushing 26 and two disks 2l each being on one side of the bushing. Disks 21 are conductors secured to sleeves 25 and have a series of inwardly disposed, aligned and radial slits preferably ninety degrees apart as indicated by letters A, B, C and D, said disks having outer lateral bearing lugs 21a disposed against the inner opposing walls of uprights 2l. If desirable, a non-conductive strip 28 may be secured to the inner side of wall Ila to insulate said wall from the circumferential surfaces of disks 21.

Numeral 29 indicates a coin box disposed within the lower part of chamber I 1, the means of withdrawing coin box 29 from the said chamber not being shown as such means are merely conventional. 30 indicates a set of leads coming from a source of electric'power and each lead is connected to metallic strip 23 by means of screws 24. 3| indicates diagrammatically a clock motor while 32 is a coin or metallic token which is adapted to close the electric circuit of the motor by means of descending through coin chute I8a and falling into one of the aligned slits A, B, C or D in disks 21. Numerals 33, 34 and 35 indicate circuit leads or conductors whereby the circuit shown in Figure 6 is opened and closed by dropping a coin 32 into chute I8a to conductively connect the disks 21.

Figure 6 shows how the leads 33 and 35 Vemanating from a source of electric current close the circuit of motor 3I whenever the coin 32 is permitted to go into chute 18a. Thus, when coin 32 falls into one of the aligned slits such as B of disks 21 shown in Figure 5, lead 33 becomes electrically connected to lead 34 by means of strips 23, conducting saddle members 24', disks 21 and metallic sleeves 25, the coin 32 electrically joining disks 21 together.

According to the disposition of slits A, B, C and D and teeth 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d, as shown in Figure 5, it is seen how the insertion of a coin into chute I8a will fall directly into one slit of disks 21 such as B. When this is done, the electric clock circuit is closed and will remain closed until the coin in slit B is in the opposite diametrical position at which time the coin falls out and breaks the circuit. In order that slit B attain the opposite diametrical position, the discs 21 must be rotated by means of disc 20. This is accomplished by the consecutive engagement of the teeth 20D, 20a, 20c and 20d with the hour hand I4. As shown in Figure 5, the hour hand I4 is ready to engage the tooth 20b and within a twelve hour sweep of the hour hand I4, the tooth 20h will move 90 degrees. Within the next twelve hour sweep of hour hand I4, tooth 20a will be engaged, rotating tooth 20h another 90 degrees, thereby bringing slit B to its opposite diametrical position for the falling out of the coin to break the circuit. It is possible to feed chute I8a with a series of coins so that if a housewife should leave her home for an extended period of time, the clock will remain going and at the same time she will have saved in her clock bank a sum of money.

I wish it understood that minor changes and variations in the construction, position, material and integration of parts of the embodiment of the invention and in the predetermined time intervals set forth hereinabove, may all be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention and without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a coin controlled circuit closer, a motor driven time clock forming part of the said circuit, a rotable coin carrier having spaced and insulated conducting members electrically connected to terminals forming a break in the given circuit, a plurality of diametrically opposite sets of aligned slots in said conducting members, the circuit being closed by an inserted coin engaging the conducting members in a set of said slots. means mechanically operated by the clock to rotate the coin carrier whereby at predetermined intervals the coin falls out of a set of aligned slots thereby breaking the circuit.

2. In a coin controlled circuit closer, a motor driven time clock forming part of the said circuit, a rotatable coin carrier having coin receiving slits therein, the said carrier being connected to opposite terminals and normally forming a. break in the given circuit, the circuit being closedby an inserted coin electrically engaging one of the said slits to close the said circuit, means mechanically operated by the clock mechanism to rotate the coin carrier whereby at predetermined intervals the coin falls out of one of the slits in the said carrier, thereby breaking the circuit.

3. In a coin controlled circuit closer, a motor driven time clock forming part of the said circuit, a coin carrier having two conductingv members electrically connected to terminals forming a break in the given circuit, a plurality of diametrically opposite sets of aligned slots in said conducting members, the circuit being closed by an inserted coin engaging the conducting members in a set of said slots, means mechanically operated by a part of the clock mechanism to displace the coin carrier whereby at predetermined intervals the coin falls out o1' a set o! aligned slots thereby breaking the circuit.

ALBERT W. SHERTENLIEB. 

